Articles on Green roofs

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Vital green spaces are disappearing in NZ cities – what can central and local government do?

Paul Blaschke, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Edward Randal, University of Otago; Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Auckland University of Technology; Meredith Amy Claire Perry, University of Otago; Philippa Howden-Chapman, University of Otago, and Ralph Brougham Chapman, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

It’s not enough to have parks in city outskirts or urban green belts. Green spaces must be accessible for residents and placed to provide effective flood protection for cities.
Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary. Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here’s how communities can become ‘sponge cities’

Franco Montalto, Drexel University

US cities are doing green infrastructure, but in bits and pieces. Today’s climate-driven floods require a much broader approach to create true sponge cities that are built to soak up water.
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A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof, boosting both biodiversity and power output

Peter J. Irga, University of Technology Sydney; Eamonn Wooster, Charles Sturt University; Fraser R Torpy, University of Technology Sydney; Jack Rojahn, University of Canberra, and Robert Fleck, University of Technology Sydney

A new study shows we can maximise the benefits of green roofs and rooftop solar systems by putting them together on the one roof.
Amsterdam, Netherlands. Planting trees in urban areas can reduce the impacts of urban heat islands. Dutch_Photos/Shutterstock

Planting more trees could reduce premature heat‑related deaths in European cities by a third – new research

Meelan Thondoo, University of Cambridge; Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Australian Catholic University, and Tamara Iungman, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

In 2015, 6,700 premature deaths were caused by urban heat – this can be reduced by a third by planting more trees.
Allowing residents to remove trees within three metres of buildings or ‘ancillary structures’ could dramatically alter the green infrastructure of dense inner Sydney suburbs like Rozelle. Tom Casey/Shutterstock

Trees can add $50,000 value to a Sydney house, so you might want to put down that chainsaw

Sara Wilkinson, University of Technology Sydney; Agnieszka Zalejska-Jonsson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Sumita Ghosh, University of Technology Sydney

Greater urban density is making it harder to preserve, let alone increase, tree cover. It’s vital, then, to demonstrate the full value of green infrastructure for healthy liveable cities.
Green roofs, like this one in Sao Paulo, Brazil, have many benefits. Leonardo Ikeda/Shutterstock

How buildings in Johannesburg could benefit from green roofs

Anne Fitchett, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa needs to develop low-cost housing solutions that are inherently comfortable and environmentally sustainable. Green roofs could be part of these solutions.
The main concern when talking about the liveability of a city like Melbourne should be sustaining the health and well-being of residents. Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock

Seven steps Melbourne can take to regain its ‘liveable city’ crown

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Rather than mourn the end of a seven-year reign as ‘world’s most liveable city’, Melbourne could raise its sights to become more liveable, healthy and sustainable for all who live in the city.
Cairns has lots of hard grey infrastructure but much less green infrastructure that would reduce the impacts of the city’s growth. Karine Dupré

Cities can grow without wrecking reefs and oceans. Here’s how

Silvia Tavares, James Cook University and Karine Dupré, Griffith University

Urbanisation is the main reason for rising temperatures and water pollution, but receives little attention in discussions about the health of water streams, reefs and oceans.

Related Topics

  1. Cities
  2. Cities & Policy
  3. Climate change
  4. Green cities
  5. Green infrastructure
  6. Green walls
  7. Trees
  8. Urban greening
  9. Urban heat
  10. Urban heat islands

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